Introduction: Reflections of a Researcher

Irene Rose De Lilly

Assignment 1: Recent Studies in Restoration & 18th-Century Literature
 

Assignment 2: Critical Website Evaluation
 

Assignment 3: MLA & WorldCat Topic Search
 

What was the most challenging assignment?

The most challenging assignment was the MLA and WorldCat research assignment. It was difficult to find what I was looking for on both data bases and I had a hard time with my works cited page. Furthermore, I was unsure about the directions and did not really know what was expected of me. I probably lost points because I might have done one or two citations wrong or misunderstood the assignment. 

What was the most useful assignment to you as a student of Restoration and eighteenth century literature?

The most useful assignment was the first one we did where we had to read recent studies on a particular topic in Restoration and 18th Century literature. My subject was the history and significance of the novel. I really liked writing on this subject because it was something I had never researched before so I was able to learn some new things. Also, the project helped me learn how to write literature reviews, synthesize the works of scholars, and formulate my own opinion. I feel like out of all the assignments this one helped me develop my skills as a writer, critical thinker, and reader.  

What would you identify as your strength as a researcher?

No one is perfect at anything and there is always something more to learn. I think I am a pretty good researcher, but I could always be better of course. Searching for information is easy, its just not getting frustrated when you cant find exactly what you're looking for that's hard. Its easy to give up and stop looking, rather than search another engine or go to the library in stead. However, I always try to maximize my searching efforts before I ask for professional help or give up and try something else. For the most part, I know where to look for most things I'm researching and i feel confident that if I needed a certain book or article I would know which resources to utilize so I could get the information I needed.

What would you identify as a weakness that you would like to continue to work on?

One of my weaknesses when it comes to researching is I tend to rely a lot on electronic sources. I was not always like this. Freshmen and sophomore year I was in the library just about every other week looking up books and checking out materials for different research papers and projects. I likes using books, but I think as I have gotten older, I've also gotten a little lazy. Sometimes its just more convenient to browse the internet instead of a book shelf. I'm working on doing better in that area though, because the internet does not always provide the most reliable information. 

  
What do you want your peers to know about the research you have done?

I want my peers to actually read the work I have done so that they too can learn some of the things I have. There is a lot of knowledge about the 18th century and most of it is pretty interesting. I want my peers to know that i put a lot of time and energy into my writing for this website and fourth hour credit assignment, therefore I want them to treat this site with the same respect they expect their sites to get treated with. Furthermore, I want my classmates to get it through their heads that research takes time, but in the end, when you have a fabulous paper that proves your points and supports your thesis, you're going to feel very accomplished because you did the work and it will definitely show.